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MEET JOHN ENNS-END
CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER
TOWN OF GRAND BAY-WESTFIELD, NB
How long have you been a CAMA member?
Around ten years.
What do you like most about being a member?
CAMA-raderie, knowledge sharing, and community.
What career advice do you live by? Who gave it to you? "Out of chaos comes opportunity." Graeme Dargo, my Department Head with the Government of the Northwest Territories.
What is the favourite place you’ve travelled?
I love Canada and have lived coast to coast to coast. I would say the shores of Lake Superior with the song ‘Your Rocky Spine’ by Great Lake Swimmers in the background.
What would be the theme song of your life right now?
Two songs: 1. ‘I Want the World to Stop’ by Belle and Sebastien and 2. ‘Don’t Let Your Feet Touch Ground’ by Ash Koley.
What advice would you give to someone considering a career as a CAO or senior manager in local government? Know your vocation: if community building is your vocation, jump in with both feet!
What experiences and past roles have led you to where you are today?
I travelled extensively when I was 20 and 21 living out of a backpack. That experience changed me leaving a ‘discontent with the status quo’ worldview. This confirmed my vocation to work with people to build community as a economic planner, pastor, human resource consultant, Mayor and now, CAO.
If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be? Why? A dead person: Gregory the Great: he was there providing structure to Rome as it crumbled. A live person: this is selfish: Ann Mitchell given how she is dealing with ‘distractions’, her podcast, her thesis, and how she is moving things forward in ‘The Hat’.
Describe what a perfect day outside of work would look like for you? Cycling through a beautiful area with a picnic lunch at a place with a view, a hot tub at the end of the ride, a good meal with good company and a good book before bed.
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